Game updates: Reagan vs. Warren

After four straight incompletions, Warren turns the ball over on downs. This one is over, Reagan beats Warren for the second time this season.

Reagan 31, Warren 21 Final.

Derrick Walls just wins ballgames. On fourth-and-2 from the Warren 8, the Rattlers go for it. Walls runs to the right side, avoids a tackle at the line of scrimmage and gets into the end zone for an 8-yard TD.

Warren takes over on its own 24, but an Anthony Johnson fumble costs the Warriors dearly. He is able to land on the ball, but loses 13 yards. On 3rd-and-23, the Warriors call timeout, then run a draw play to Matt Owens for a 4-yard game.

The 4th and 19 pass is incomplete and wouldn’t have even been enough for a first down anyway.

Reagan takes over at the Warren 16 with 2:17 left, and Warren’s going to need a miracle.

Reagan regained a 24-21 lead, as a pass interference call against Warren in the end zone on a 4th-and-5 play from the Warriors 13-yard line set up Reagan from the 2-yard line, and the Rattlers capitalized one player when Kyle Davis pounded in a 2-yard TD run to regain with 4:50 remaining.

-Chad Peters

***

Warren has retaken the lead at 21-17 following a 6-yard fade route in the corner of the end zone from Daniel Horstman to Anthony Johnson. The play came a play after a Warren false-start penalty moved the Warriors back from the 1 to the 6.

-Chad Peters

***

Warren has marched down the field since Reagan punted a moment ago, and now faces a key 4th-and-2 from the 20. The Warriors are set to go for it to start the fourth quarter trailing 17-14.

-Chad Peters

***

Warren escaped this time without having its punt blocked, though Nealy was inches away from getting another. Interestingly, Derrick Walls was back to return the punt, perhaps indicating how big coach David Wetzel sees this upcoming drive. A touchdown and Reagan will have some serious cushion with a two-possession lead. A great return from Walls, though, was wiped out by a holding penalty.

-Chad Peters

***

Just as we typed that, Martel Moore has returned to the lineup. Moore was in on a 3rd-and-13 situation, and a deep pass was directed his way, but overthrown. Warren is back to punt again.

-Chad Peters

***

By the way, an update on Warren receiver Martel Moore: He is dressed and still in pads on the sideline, but does not have a helmet and has not yet entered the game in the second half. Marcus Smith has replaced him in the lineup. Moore was drilled in the back on an interception late in the first half.

-Chad Peters

***

And Reagan wastes no time in the second half to take advantage of a huge opportunity. One play after Spencer Nealy blocked a punt that Nathan Dawson recovered at the Warren 8-yard line, Kyle Davis rumbled in for an 8-yard score to pull ahead 17-14. It marks Reagan’s first lead of the game.

On the scoring play, Davis slashed through the line and barreled over a defender at the goal line to score.

-Chad Peters

***

Following a Reagan punt to start the second half, Warren went 3-and-out and is punting thanks, in part, to consecutive drops.

-Chad Peters

***

As they meet in the locker room, the Rattlers have to be kicking themselves over a pair of first-half turnovers that led to Warren’s only points of the half. Consider this: Two Reagan turnovers have produced 14 Warren points, while two Warren turnovers half produced just 3 Reagan points. Reagan’s defense has been relentless throughout the half, but the Warriors have done a good job of gaining offensive momentum when given chances off turnovers.

Owens leads Warren with 37 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, while Reagan’s Kyle Davis has 11 carries for 61 yards and also a pair of interceptions defensively.

-Chad Peters

***

Reagan converts a turnover into points this time, as Travis Hunt connected on a 25-yard field goal with four seconds left in the half to draw closer at 14-10. After a kickoff return near midfield for Warren, it’s now halftime.

-Chad Peters

***

As scary a moment for Warren as it was costly on the football field. Reagan’s Kyle Davis intercepted his second pass of the game — again off a deflection — giving Reagan the ball at Warren’s 31-yard line with 2:02 left in the half. But Warren receiver Martel Moore was drilled in the back on the play while trying to make the reception, and stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped to walk off the field.

-Chad Peters

***

For the second time, Warren has converted a Reagan turnover in a touchdown. Matt Owens scored his second of the day, cruising into the end zone on a 3-yard run up the middle to retake a 14-7 lead with 7:17 left in the second quarter .

Reagan’s Kyle Davis is everywhere. Not only has he provided a spark to the running game off the bench and already intercepted a pass, he just helped break up a 3rd-down pass to force a Warren punt. Following a rolling Warren punt, Reagan will take over at its own 1-yard line.

-Chad Peters

***

Ryan Witte capped off Reagan’s drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Derrick Walls to even the score at 7-7. On the play, Walls used play-action to freeze the defenders, leaving Witte wide open on a slant route.

-Chad Peters

***

The first quarter has ended with Warren leading 7-0, but Reagan has driven 73 yards to the Warren 10-yard line, where it has a 1st-and-goal to start the second period. Kyle Davis has come off the bench to provide a spark to the running game, running for 41 yards on five carries.

-Chad Peters

***

Minus the roughing-the-punter penalty, Reagan’s defense/special teams is off to a great start, holding Warren to a 3-and-out. Let’s see if the Rattlers’ offense can take advantage.

-Chad Peters

***

Reagan’s second offensive possession was only slightly more effective than its first, as a 3-and-out has given Warren the ball back at midfield.

-Chad Peters

***

The turnover proved costly for Reagan, as Warren just took a 7-0 lead thanks to a 14-yard touchdown run from Matt Owens. The drive was highlighted by a 47-yard deep strike from Horstman to Martel Moore, which gave the Warriors the ball at the Reagan 26-yard line.

-Chad Peters

***

The game just turned silly in a hurry. After Reagan’s Kyle Davis intercepted Daniel Horstman on a deflected pass, Reagan turned the ball over on the next play via fumble. Warren has the ball again.

-Chad Peters

***

After getting a first down on its first play, Warren is forced to punt four plays later. But on the punt, Reagan roughed Warren’s punter, keeping the possession alive. Warren has the ball near midfield.

-Chad Peters

***

Kickoff is seconds away. Warren will get the ball first.

-Chad Peters

***

One of the most intriguing things about this game is going to be seeing if it at all mirrors their first matchup from September. In that game, Reagan overcame a 21-14 fourth-quarter deficit thanks, in part, to two late fumbles by Warren. The Rattlers then used a mircale Hail Mary play to force overtime before eventually winning in double OT.

Since then, both teams have come a long way. Warren is undefeated since, while the Rattlers have only dropped one game. Warren is giving up an average of 3.5 points per contest over the last four games. Reagan’s defense has come into its own as well, fueling the team’s District 26-5A title.

-Chad Peters

***

The playoff battle between Districts 26-5A and 28-5A is now officially tied at 1-1 with Smithson Valley cruising past O’Connor earlier today at the Alamodome, so it looks like the Warren-Reagan winner will decide who win’s this year’s clash between the two districts. Any early predictions? Remember, Reagan took the first meeting between the schools, winning 31-28 in double overtime in Week 1 of the regular season.